A Foxy Date With Evil
by MelEddy17
Summary: Contains Valduggery. :3 The Canidae are after one of their own. When Skulduggery, Valkyrie, Ghastly and Fletcher are attacked they set out to investigate and get much more than they bargained for...
1. Chapter 1

"Well, that was fun." Valkyrie said as she brushed the rubble and dust from her hair.  
"Very," Skulduggery agreed, "Are you hurt anywhere?"  
"Um, nope. I don't think so. You?"  
"Of course not. I'm far too good at fighting evil to get hurt."  
"You got hurt, didn't you?"  
"Maybe a little bit. But it's only a broken bone or two," Valkyrie whipped her phone out her pocket. "What're you doing?" Skulduggery asked, approaching her with a terrible limp.  
"I'm calling Kenspeckle." She answered.  
"Why would you want to do that?"  
"Because you're injured. Now stop moving." She commanded and pushed him to the floor.  
"Ow! Why'd you do that? I have broken bones." He complained.  
"Exactly. And shut up! No, not you Clarabelle." Clarabelle started yapping, "Yes. Yes. No. I know. Yes. He says hi back. Yep. Um, Clarabelle? Is Kenspeckle there? Oh, okay. Can you tell him I phoned and that we'll be arriving in about fifteen minutes? Okay, thank you."  
"What did she say?" Skulduggery asked, trying to get up. Valkyrie pushed him back down.  
"She asked if we'd nearly died, if you were here, if the bad guy was dead, that we really should stop doing dangerous stuff and if I was okay."  
"She didn't ask if I was fine, then?"  
"Nope." She said, putting her phone back in her pocket.  
"Charming." He tried getting up again but Valkyrie stood in his way, "Would you please stop doing that?"  
"No." She said stubbornly.  
"Why?" He sighed, exasperated.  
"Because, you're injured."  
"So?"  
"Moving when you're injured isn't good for you."  
"Yeah. What's your point?"  
"My point is that you shouldn't move around because you're injured so, shut up and sit still!" Skulduggery remained silent, "Thank you. This seems a bit reversed to me. Does it seem it to you?"  
"In what way?"  
"Well, you're injured and seem to be asking all the questions where as I'm not injured, I'm answering the questions and looking after you. Not that I'm always getting injured."  
"Oh, of course you're not. Ask me a question so we can get back to the normal routine." He suggested.  
"Okay then, why were they all after you and completely ignoring me?" Valkyrie asked, serious.  
"Were they ignoring you? I never noticed. I was too busy getting attacked by a lot of bad guys that I've never met before."  
"The reason there were a lot of them attacking you is because they were ignoring me."  
"Or, the reason they were ignoring you is because they were attacking me."  
"Huh?"  
"Think about it. If they were attacking me so much how could they have enough time to attack you?"  
"Yeah, but if they ignored me, they could attack you more."  
"And why would they wish to do that?"  
"I don't know."  
"Precisely. Where's Ghastly, he should have driven past here by now." He said, checking the watch on his left wrist, "He's been distracted since Tanith ran off with Billy-Ray."  
"Remnant." Valkyrie corrected him stiffly.  
"I'm sorry?"  
"The remnant ran off with Sanguine, not Tanith." She said. He sighed.  
"I know, I know. I miss her too," he said sadly, looking up at her from the floor, "but we have to stay positive and try to think of a way to get her back. But, before that let's get me fixed up. I can't save the world if my leg's falling off, can I?" Valkyrie took her phone out and started dialling.  
"Hi, Ghastly. No, it's okay. I'm going to call Fletcher so you finish the suit. Really, it's okay. See you later. Bye." She hung up and started dialling again, "Hey, Fletcher. Could you, like, pick us up and take us to Kenspeckle's place, please? Yeah, um, hold on a sec." She covered the phone with her hand, "Where are we?"  
"I think we're in the ruins of an old church that's been here for many centuries."  
"Anything more specific?"  
"Oh, right. Yes."  
"Where?" Valkyrie asked after a moment.  
"Hmm?" He'd been looking at all the unconscious bodies around them but he looked back at her, cocking his head in confusion. She sighed.  
"It doesn't matter. Hi again. We don't know where we are, all we know is that we're in a load of rubble that used to be a really big, really old church. Is that any help? I didn't think so. Erm, hold on a sec." She covered the mouth piece with her hand again, "Skulduggery?"  
"Yes Valkyrie?"  
"Could you do that flying thing and see where we are?"  
"I could. I could fly us to the cinema if you want."  
"What?"  
"I said I could fly us to the cinema."  
"No, I know what you said but you could have told me sooner."  
"I suppose I could've, couldn't I? But I didn't."  
"I know you didn't. Fletcher, you don't have to come now. Skulduggery's going to fly us there. Okay. Bu-bye." She giggled at something Fletcher said and hung up. Skulduggery stared at her and chuckled.  
"What?" She said, suddenly feeling very self-conscious.  
"Nothing." He attempted to get up but Valkyrie pushed him back down.  
"What now?" He groaned at her.  
"You can't get up when you're injured." She said.  
"But I can't fly if I'm sat down."  
"Oh, okay then." She moved out of his way and let him stand. He grabbed her round the waist with one hand and grabbed the leader of the attacking gang by the collar then concentrated. The wind whipped around Valkyrie, causing her dark hair to lash at her face. She held onto him tightly as their feet left the ground. She could see the mess they'd made when the Bentley had crashed into the side of the church after the gang had jumped them when they were on the way to a murder scene where an entire family of mortals were killed.

* * *

This is set after mortal coil but I've decided that some events didn't take place, that's why Kenspeckle and Clarabelle are still here.


	2. Chapter 2

Ten minutes later they were hovering over an old, abandoned cinema. The Hibernian Cinema stooped low, squished by the two larger, younger structures on either side. They floated down to the ground and entered the building. The floor was covered in a thick carpet that absorbed the sound of their footfalls, they passed framed posters for films which starred dead actors. The screen at the front of the cinema was covered in a red curtain, as they approached the curtain parted and the screen lit up, showing a black and white brick wall and an open door. Valkyrie Cain walked and Skulduggery Pleasant limped up to the door and disappeared through the screen. They climbed the stairs on the other side, when they reached the top floor the old, dusty cinema was completely forgotten. There were gleaming corridors and laboratories, there were no windows and the temperature was perfectly controlled to suit the owner of the Hibernian. They found Professor Kenspeckle Grouse and Clarabelle deep in conversation. They were discussing the effectiveness of using Kenspeckle's serum for broken bones on a broken table leg.  
"No, Clarabelle. It just wouldn't work. I made it to fix broken bones, not broken table legs."  
"Yeah, I know but I think that since a broken table leg is just like a broken bone it should work. Don't you think so, Skulduggery?"  
"I wouldn't know," Skulduggery says, "but what I do know is that I could do with some of that serum at the moment." Kenspeckle turned at the sound of his voice and his eyes hardened.  
"You've been getting her into trouble again, haven't you detective? Who's that?" He eyed the unconscious body in Skulduggery's arms.  
"Actually no. This time trouble came to us, isn't that right, Valkyrie? And, I don't know who this is. I'm going to take him to the sanctuary to question him but, first I have to be mended." Valkyrie was looking at the object in Clarabelle's hands.  
"Erm, Clarabelle?" She gulped, "What is that?"  
"What's what?" Clarabelle queried.  
"The thing in your hands."  
"Oh, this?" She held up the object and Valkyrie stepped back.  
"Um, yeah. That."  
"This is a hand, Valkyrie."  
"I know that but, whose?"  
"Oh, I don't know. Kenspeckle?"  
"It's the hand of The Torment. I wanted to dissect it separately from the rest of the body because-"  
"Well, this is nice and all but could we get my bones fixed?" Skulduggery interrupted.  
"Yes, yes but, first let me tend to Valkyrie."  
"Me? Thanks but I don't need anything done. I've got a couple of bruises on my knuckles from where I punched a guy in the elbow by accident but apart from that I'm perfectly fine."  
"Wow!" Clarabelle exclaimed, "You didn't get hurt?"  
"No," Valkyrie said sardonically, "I didn't get hurt."  
"But I did." Skulduggery said cheerfully.  
"Come." Kenspeckle ordered the skeleton detective.  
"Coming," He replied but turned to Valkyrie, "You, missy, stay out of trouble."  
"Don't worry, Skulduggery, she'll be with me." Clarabelle said happily.  
"And you say not to worry." Skulduggery muttered under his breath as he walked away, dragging the strangers body behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Clarabelle wandered around, Valkyrie trailing her, drifting in and out of rooms some holding patients others with dead, magical beings that the Professor wanted to examine but most were full of potions and mixtures. She was explaining what a vial full of green liquid was for when Fletcher appeared with Ghastly, both covered in blood.  
"Where's Kenspeckle?" Ghastly demanded.  
"This way." Clarabelle said putting the vial back on the shelf, not at all phased by the blood.  
"Are you okay?" Valkyrie gasped, "What happened?"  
"We'll explain everything in a bit, but first I need to speak to Kenspeckle. Where's Skulduggery?" He asked as Valkyrie put her arm around his waist to take his weight off Fletcher.  
"He's with Kenspeckle. He broke his left leg in three places and two ribs." Valkyrie explained.  
"What about you?" Fletcher asked, worried.  
"I'm perfectly fine. Bruised knuckles but that's it."  
"No injuries at all?" He asked, sceptical.  
"Hey!"  
"Sorry, sorry."  
"Idiotic boyfriend." Valkyrie grumbled.  
"They're in there." Clarabelle called back to them, pointing at a large double door then wandered into a completely different room.  
"Was that a hand?" Ghastly whispered in Valkyrie's ear.  
"Yeah. The Torment's actually."  
"Why's she holding the hand of a giant spider?" Fletcher asked as they went through the double doors.  
"Who knows? How's the leg?" She asked Skulduggery.  
"It's healing." He replied.  
"What happened here?" Kenspeckle questioned, appearing from a door in the corner, "Sit on the bed, stay still and let me examine the wounds."  
"That's the thing," Fletcher said, "There are no wounds."  
"What're you on about?" The Professor demanded, "Of course there'll be wounds. Look at all that blood."  
"See for yourself." He muttered. Kenspeckle got out a huge pair of scissors and chuckled darkly when he saw the expression on the boy's face.  
"I need to cut the clothes off in order to 'see for myself'." He cuts both Ghastly's and Fletcher's shirts starting from the hem at the back then gliding the scissors up toward the collar. Fletcher moaned about it being his favourite shirt but he was ignored as Kenspeckle started to inspect his flesh. Valkyrie blushed and looked away, walking over to Skulduggery as she did so.  
"What are you all embarrassed about, my dear student?" He whispered.  
"Shut up!" She said and hit him.  
"Ow! Broken bones, remember."  
"Exactly."  
"So you hit me knowing that it would hurt?"  
"Pretty much."  
"How delightful."  
"Great Scott! This isn't possible!" Exclaimed the Professor, "Unless... Who attacked you?" He questioned Ghastly.  
"I don't know. I didn't see them. I was in the kitchen making a cup of coffee for Fletcher, he'd come to pick me up and bring me here but I hadn't quite finished the suit I was working on, and blood just dripped from my throat into the mug. I didn't feel any pain until I left the kitchen to see if I was imagining things, I've not been myself lately. As soon as my foot left the kitchen I felt as though someone was strangling me with a very sharp wire. The next thing I know, Valkyrie's making a fuss over us and I'm no longer in pain." He finished. Kenspeckle looked to Fletcher for the rest of the story.  
"He was taking so long I was getting worried so I got up to see what the matter was. I knocked something off the table and bent to pick it up and that's when I saw the blood trickling down my arm, over my hand and onto the floor. Because of the blood I teleported to the kitchen to see if Ghastly was okay. He was facing away from me so I couldn't see his face but it was clear he was in pain. I grabbed his arm and, before I teleported I saw something perched on the edge of the table. It looked human but it had huge ears and a tail. When I teleported, I came to the safest place I could think of which turned out to be here..." He sat and thought about that as Kenspeckle spoke.  
"I thought as much. There were wounds but as soon as you leave their line of sight they can no longer harm you."  
"Who's they?" Valkyrie asked, turning away from Skulduggery.  
"They," Skulduggery answered, "are the Canidae."  
"The what?" Fletcher said. Sometimes Valkyrie loved having an idiot for a boyfriend because it made her seem smarter when he's around. She smiled to herself.  
"The Canidae." Skulduggery repeated and sighed. "Fox people."  
"Oh, the Canidae are back, are they?" Clarabelle sings as she enters the room.  
"I didn't know you knew about them." Kenspeckle says.  
"You don't know a lot about me but you still hired me. One of the patients is writhing around in pain and I don't know what to give him."  
"Who is it?"  
"It's that sweet'n'sour chappy."  
"Oh, Aaron Sour?"  
"Uh-huh."  
"Okay, I'll be there in a minute but let me deal with these bunch of clowns first," The cranky Professor turned to Skulduggery, "That leg should be fine by now. The serum mixed with your magical ability means that it will heal faster than normal. Stay out of trouble for another hour and you should be fine. You can manage an hour can't you, detective?"  
"Probably."  
"Skulduggery." He warned.  
"Don't worry," Valkyrie interrupted before sparks could fly, "I'll make sure he stays out of trouble."  
"Thank you. At least someone has some sense." He said, glancing at Fletcher before he followed Clarabelle out the room. Valkyrie started to laugh but hid it with a cough then turned to Fletcher.  
"Are you really okay?" She asked him.  
"Yes, I'm really okay." He answered, smiling sweetly. Valkyrie blushed again. Shaking her head she turned to Ghastly.  
"And you're okay as well?"  
"Hmm? Oh, yes. Thank you." He said.  
"Good. Wait, if the Canidae don't cause pain when they're attacking, why did Ghastly feel pain when he stepped out the kitchen?"  
"They don't like to cause pain to people but they can only do that in a set area around them. For a fully grown Canidae the area usually has about a thirty metre radius. The particular Canidae that attacked Ghastly was probably a young one so it's area was only as big as Ghastly's kitchen."  
"Makes sense." She said and went to sit on the edge of the bed on which Skulduggery was sat when the leader of the attacking gang stirred in the chair he was not very carefully placed in. He opened his eyes and looked right at her. He looked at Skulduggery, then Ghastly and Fletcher. It was only after he'd taken in his surroundings that he spoke.


	4. Chapter 4

"I told them we didn't stand a chance against the skeleton detective and his assistant." He chuckled throatily, "Let me guess, you're going to question me?" He had a very English accent, almost posh.  
"You guessed correctly." Skulduggery replied, "Who are you? Who are you working for? What do they want?"  
"My name is Leonard Sorin. I am currently working for The Canidae. I do not know why they're attacking you but I do know that they are looking for a Canidae named Inali Rune."  
"Why are they looking for her?"  
"I do not know."  
"Leonard Sorin," Ghastly muttered, "I swear I've heard that name before."  
"Me too." Said Fletcher and Valkyrie at the same time. They looked at each other and smiled.  
"Have you?" Skulduggery said, "I haven't."  
"Tanith mentioned him. She said he was one of the best contract killers in Britain." Valkyrie inserted.  
"Tanith Low?" Leonard asked, his voice full of disbelief, "_The_ Tanith Low."  
"Um, yeah." Valkyrie said uncertainly, "Why?"  
"I've been looking for her all over England for about six months. So she was over here all that time."  
"Why were you looking for her?" Ghastly asked stiffly.  
"A client of mine asked for her but I didn't know where she was so I had to send someone else. I'm well known for my business skills as well as my killing skills."  
"I haven't the foggiest who you are." Skulduggery said a little sulkily.  
"I have a question." Valkyrie interjected.  
"Shoot." The way he said it didn't suit him at all.  
"Well, first off," Valkyrie said, "This is for your own sake, don't ever say that again. It just sounds ridiculous when you say it."  
"I was thinking that." He admitted.  
"Second, why were you all attacking Skulduggery and not me?"  
"Because you shouldn't have been any trouble, apparently. I didn't agree with my client, saying that you'll obviously be trouble since you're being taught by Skulduggery Pleasant but they were having none of it and ordered me to get a group of people, preferably killers, together and, well, kill you both."  
"I like you." Skulduggery said, shocking everyone.  
"Why?" Ghastly asked a tone of outrage to his voice.  
"Because he said that he wouldn't stand a chance against me and Valkyrie. Usually bad guys are saying things like 'I would have killed you but luck was on your side' or 'You cheated' or something like that. This guy admits that I'm better than him at fighting and stuff."  
"He said _we_ are, not you, we. As in the two of us." Valkyrie said.  
"Yeah, but, you're my student and I'm your teacher which means that I'm better than you at fighting and stuff."  
"You may be better than me but you might not be better than him."  
"But he just said I was."  
"No, he said we were."  
"Yeah."  
"What?"  
"What?"  
"Okay, I'm confused." Fletcher said.  
"Me too." Added Valkyrie.  
"So am I. Anyway, we were asked to kill you," Leonard said cheerfully, "By this Canidae called Demitri Calix. I don't know his location so don't bother asking but, I do know that he's Greek and how you can find him."  
"Have you been interrogated before because you seem very good at this." Skulduggery queried.  
"It's in the job description."  
"I knew that."  
"Sure you did." Valkyrie muttered sarcastically.  
"I've got to go." Leonard said suddenly, "There's this big meeting and I've got to be there otherwise none of it would make sense."  
"You can't go." Skulduggery stated.  
"But I have to. Sorry."  
"But you can't."  
"I'll come back."  
"We can't trust you."  
"Why not?"  
"Because you're the bad guy."  
"Okay, how about this? You can come with me to the meeting."  
"What? Isn't it a big meeting with lots of bad guys?"  
"Yeah."  
"So why would you offer for us to come?"  
"Why not?"  
"Because we're the good guys."  
"So?"  
"Most of the bad guys in the world don't like good guys."  
"I like good guys."  
"Yeah, but you're weird." Valkyrie said.  
"Oh, thanks for that. So are you coming or do I have to go all alone?"  
"We'll come." Skulduggery said excitedly, "I've always wanted to go to a meeting full of bad guys."  
"I take back what I said about you being weird. He's the weird one." Valkyrie said, pointing to Skulduggery.  
"That's no way to talk about your teacher, Valkyrie."  
"Would you rather me lie or tell the truth?"  
"The truth."  
"Good because the truth is that you're just plain weird."  
"She has a point." Fletcher said as he walked over to Valkyrie and put his arm around her shoulders.  
"Okay, I know that this is Skulduggery Pleasant," Leonard said, "she's Valkyrie Cain and he's Ghastly Bespoke but who are you? Fletcher..."  
"Renn. Fletcher Renn." Sorin looked at Valkyrie for help.  
"He's the last ever teleporter." She said, patted Fletcher on the arm and looked at him sympathetically. The Englishman chuckled and said,  
"Right then, Mr. Teleporter could you please take us to Sorin Street in London?"  
"I have to have been there to go there. Or seen a picture at least. Have you got one?"  
"Yep."  
"You have a whole street named after you?" Skulduggery asked."  
"I do."  
"I want a street named after me."  
"I'm sure you could have one. Here you go." He handed a piece of paper to Fletcher. He looked at it and Valkyrie looked over his shoulder.  
"Hey, I've been there." She said. Sorin looked surprised.  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. I went when I was, like, five. Mum and dad took me to London for Easter, I think it was. It wasn't called Sorin Street back then though; it was something like Number Street."  
"Count Street."  
"That's the one."  
"Okay, we're setting off now." Fletcher announced. Skulduggery held onto Fletcher with his right hand and Leonard with his left, Valkyrie reached over to where Ghastly was sat and gently held his hand. Fletcher looked at the picture again and Valkyrie blinked then they fell smack-bang into a wall.


	5. Chapter 5

"I swear that wasn't there before." Leonard said and took the picture from Fletcher.  
"How can a wall suddenly appear? And, fox people?" She asked, turning on Skulduggery and raising her eyebrow.  
"I never mentioned them?" He sounded surprised.  
"No."  
"Oh. Sorry. Fox people exist."  
"I know that _now_ but you could have told me before."  
"I could have but I didn't."  
"Exactly."  
"Would you have believed me if I suddenly said that fox people exist?"  
"Probably not."  
"Why would you tell me to tell you something if you wouldn't believe it in the first place."  
"I would have appreciated it if you had told me sooner, that's all."  
"Oh, right. Well, fox people exist."  
"You already said that."  
"Did I? When?"  
"About two minutes ago."  
"Really? Are you sure about that? You're not going barmy, are you?"  
"No, I'm not. You said, and I quote, 'Oh. Sorry. Fox people exist.'"  
"Hmm. Are you _positive?_"  
"Yes."  
"Oh, okay then." He dismisses her and looks around.  
"Are you sure you've been here?" Sorin asked her.  
"Yes. Why?"  
"No reason." He said quickly, turned and walked briskly away. They started to follow but Valkyrie stopped when she realized that Ghastly wasn't with them and called Skulduggery back.  
"He mustn't have come with us." He said logically.  
"But I definitely had hold of him when we left and I swear I heard him curse when we hit the wall."  
"Curse? Ghastly? He's never done that before and I don't think he ever will. Are you sure it was him and not Fletcher or something. I know he cursed."  
"I think I can tell the difference between my mentor's best friend's and my own boyfriend's voice, Skulduggery."  
"You sure?"  
"Positive." Fletcher and Leonard had come wandering back when they noticed the other two weren't with them.  
"What's the matter?" Fletcher asked her as they approached.  
"Ghastly's not here."  
"Did he come with us?" Leonard asked.  
"Yes," Fletcher answered before Valkyrie, "I know how many people I'm moving when I teleport, plus I saw him when we landed."  
"Where is he, then?" Valkyrie wondered.  
"He's still here." Skulduggery said.  
"What? Of course he's not here; he's nowhere to be seen." Fletcher retorted.  
"Just because he can't be seen or heard or felt doesn't mean that he's not here."  
"So you're saying that he's here but no one can see him or even hear him."  
"Or touch him."  
"Or touch him" Fletcher repeated.  
"Yes. That's exactly what I'm saying. He can still see, hear and touch us though so, if you feel something on your shoulder it's either Ghastly or a giant spider."  
"Why a giant spider?" Valkyrie asked him.  
"Because there's one on your shoulder. Stay very, very still."  
"Skulduggery..." Valkyrie whispered.  
"Yes Valkyrie?" He said as he creeps up behind her and the spider.  
"How big is giant?"  
"Remember how big your toaster is?"  
"Yes."  
"Smaller than that."  
"How small is it, then?"  
"About the size of my hand."  
"Oh, okay then. Why can't I move?"  
"Because it's big and it's bright yellow and red. I don't think they're good colours on a spider."  
"I don't think so either." Suddenly, Fletcher disappeared from sight, appeared beside Valkyrie then disappeared again, taking the spider with him. He came back a second later, covered in snow.  
"Thanks." Valkyrie said and smiled at him.  
"You welcome." He replied and smiled. Blood trickled through his lips and down his chin. He wiped at it, assuming it was a bit of melted snow, and was shocked to see it was red.  
"Why am I bleeding?" He said.  
"Fletcher! Are you okay?"  
"Yeah, I'm fine. Wait, does that mean that the Canidae are attacking?" He asked Skulduggery.  
"Maybe," Came the reply, "Or maybe not. I just remember what type of spider that was. It's from the Ctenidae family of spider but it's not a natural type of spider. It looks like a harmless garden spider but it's the most poisonous in the world. It's a cross between the Brazilian wandering spider and the common Argiope Aurantia. Because of the unnatural breeding it swells to the size of a hand."  
"Doesn't a spider have to bite in order to infect someone? Why is Fletcher bleeding then?"  
"This one doesn't have to bite." Sorin answered, "The poison seeps out of little holes in the skin, causing the spider to be highly poisonous to anyone that touches it, not just bitten by it. That's why it's called Corpus Venenatis, Latin for poisonous body."  
"Okay, it's nice to know the facts about the spider but how about what's happening to Fletcher."  
"Valkyrie, he just touched to most poisonous spider in the world." Skulduggery said. Tears were streaming down her face and she was shaking her head.  
"No. Don't. You can't- He can't- Don't say that. Just don't. Plea-."  
"Valkyrie," Fletcher said softly, "I'm fine. See, I'm not even wobbly. I just bit my tongue is all. Nothing to worry about."  
"Fletcher. That the most poisonous spider ever." Skulduggery started to say but Fletcher cut him off.  
"No! I just bit my tongue when I landed. Nothing to worry about, look." He stuck his tongue out to reveal a lot of blood and a nasty gash right across the middle of his tongue.  
"You sure it's not because of the spider?" Valkyrie managed in between sobs.  
"I'm positive, Val. Don't worry."  
"Okay." She smiled, wiped her eyes with her sleeve and hugged Fletcher. Valkyrie had her back to Skulduggery so she didn't see the gesture he gave Fletcher. She only felt him nodding against her shoulder. She pulled away from him and looked into his smiling face. She opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Leonard,  
"I hate to be insensitive but we're going to be late for the meeting if we don't hurry up."  
"Let's hurry up then." Valkyrie said and followed closely behind him. Fletcher drifted further away from her, eventually walking beside Skulduggery a couple of metres behind Valkyrie and Sorin.  
"You did that just before you stuck it out, didn't you." The skeleton detective said, pointing at Fletcher's mouth.  
"How long do I have?"  
"It's a miracle you're still here, let alone walking and talking."  
"Not long then."  
"No, not long. Why lie to her?"  
"I don't know. I just don't want to hurt her, I guess. It's the first time I've felt like this, mind you it's the first time I've been poisoned by a giant spider." He chuckled darkly, coughed up a lungful of blood and collapsed in the street.


	6. Chapter 6

"Fletcher." Skulduggery barked and dashed to catch him before his head hit the curb. Valkyrie spun around at Skulduggery's yell and saw Fletcher lying on the blood soaked pavement.  
"Fletcher!" She ran over to them and knelt beside the teleporter, "Fletcher. No, no, no. Please, no."  
"Valkyrie," He whispered, "I'm okay, really." He started coughing again.  
"No, you're not, but you're going to get better. Aren't you? Fletcher. Please, Fletcher, don't leave me. Don't die."  
"Valkyrie," His voice was so quiet that she had to lean in close to hear the words, "Get Tanith back and live a long, happy life." She shook her head sharply once as tears ran down her face to drip on the dying boy's bloody chest.  
"No. You're not going to die! Skulduggery, tell him he's not going to die." She waited but no one said anything.  
"Val, don't... worry..." Fletcher whispered. She turned on Leonard, suddenly angry.  
"You seem to know everything there is to know. What's the cure?!"  
"Valkyrie, there isn't a cu-" Skulduggery tried  
"No! Shut up! Just shut up you stupid skeleton!" She screamed. She'd risen to her feet but collapsed in a flood of tears. Skulduggery moved to comfort her but Fletcher shook his head.  
"Val... come... here." She leaned in so close that she could smell the sweetness of his cologne mixed with the bitterness of the blood.  
"Valkyrie... Cain... No. Steph... Anie... Edgley... Forget... About me." Nobody had heard Fletcher other than her. Valkyrie's eyes glazed over and she stood up and walked in the direction they were heading in before Fletcher collapsed. She shook her head and turned around, wondering why Sorin and Skulduggery weren't following her. She saw the boy lying in the street and ran over, worried for the stranger. When she saw his face she got a strange feeling. Like her mind was trying to remember something that wasn't there. She shook her head again and asked Skulduggery who he was.  
"He's Fletcher Renn."  
"Who's that?"  
"He's your boyfriend."  
"No he's not. I don't have a boyfriend. Never have."  
"Valkyrie, what's gotten into you... Fletcher!" He turns to the boy on the floor, "Do you know her real name?"  
"Yeah. I... Met... Her... Parents... On...the... Night... The... Remnants... Attacked."  
"I knew it. Stephanie, remember!"  
"Remember what?"  
"Remember Fletcher Renn. Remember your boyfriend. Remember the last teleporter. Remember the annoying brat with ridiculous hair. Remember him, Valkyrie!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her. Sorin saw Fletcher trying to speak and yelled at Skulduggery to stop and listen. The detective let go of Valkyrie and stooped to hear what Fletcher had to say.  
"Tell her... that... I..." He was interrupted by a fit of bloody coughs that never seemed to end. When he'd stopped he looked Valkyrie right in the eyes and, in that moment, she remembered. She remembered his sweet smile, his delicious smell, his warm voice, his comforting hugs, his soft kisses. She remembered him, all of him. She remembered just as he forgot. She walked to his side like a ghost, arms limp, mind numb, and her legs gave way beneath her. Silent tears streamed down her face as she looked into the unseeing eyes of Fletcher Renn. Valkyrie leaned over him, tenderly kissed him on the lips and gently closed his eyes for the last time. Skulduggery knelt next to her and lightly tapped her on the shoulder. She turned and buried her face in his chest. He wrapped his skeletal arms round her and delicately picked her up off the ground and carried her to the closest bench. She didn't resist, just fell limp against him as they sat on the bench. Leonard looked at them and then back to the body. _What about the body?_He mouthed to Skulduggery who just shrugged in response. Sorin shrugged back, sat on the bench next to Valkyrie and, hesitantly, patted her hand. She caught his hand and squeezed it for a second then let go. He left his hand where it was, leant back and closed his eyes.

Thirty minutes later Valkyrie's mind started to work again, one cell at a time. Her fingers twitched and she opened her eyes. She looked at Leonard first then Skulduggery. She noted the tilt of his head and the way his body was unnaturally still. The only movement made was his suit as it rippled in the slight summer breeze.  
_He's meditating._ A voice in the back of her head said.  
"I know." She whispered out loud.  
_Are you okay now?_ The voice asked, concerned.  
"Yes, I'm fine now." She was still looking at Skulduggery when his head jerked to the side then the other side. He slowly woke up from his meditation and studied Valkyrie.  
"You okay?"  
"Yeah. Thanks." She smiled.  
"Good." He stood and stretched, causing his ribs to crack all over again. Skulduggery yelled out in pain and woke Leonard up from his sleep. He looked around, confused, then remembered what just happened. He asked if Valkyrie was okay and she nodded her answer, looking at Fletcher's lifeless body lying on the bloody pavement. She expected tears to start rolling down her cheeks again but was shocked she didn't feel any kind of sadness for the boy, only a cold, numb feeling in her stomach.  
_I'll sort the body out. You can go ahead to the meeting, it's important._ The voice said.  
"Okay." She whispered and turned to Leonard, "Aren't we going to be late for the meeting?" She started walking away when it dawned on her. The voice she heard hadn't been from the back of her mind at all. The whirled around and ran to the bench they were sat on just a couple of minutes earlier. In the tree behind the bench sat a young girl. She looked to be about ten years old. She saw Valkyrie looking at her and waved. She jumped down from the tree and landed on the back of the bench then jumped down and stood in front of all three of them, grinning. She was wearing a long, dark purple dress with even darker trimmings at the bottom. She had naturally red hair which was braided all the way to her knees and big, green eyes. She was wearing a heavy looking chain around her neck and a hat. If it wasn't for the fact that her hat kept twitching and her dress kept swishing around her legs, she would have looked like an ordinary ten year old girl.  
"What's your name and what do you want?" Valkyrie demanded, suddenly furious.  
"My name's Inali Rune and I want your help."

* * *

I know there's the Three Names rule but I couldn't think of any other way to make this scene work. Sorry.

* * *

I can't think of anything to write so it will either be a while until I next update it or I'll end up giving up on it.


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